In Washington, the LGBT Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced at a meeting the creation of a Lesbian Leadership Council to develop the representation and the role of lesbians within the Democratic party.

From March 19, lawmakers in Hong Kong will start to discuss a law which would allow a gender recognition without undergoing reassignment surgery and which would also allow marriage for transgender people.

President Obama’s inauguration speech was beautiful: “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths—that all of us are created equal—is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk along; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.”

There are so many important issues of equality facing the LGBTQ* community. Currently, the focus remains on the fight for marriage equality. Another important battle has been sitting in the background waiting to be pushed to the forefront: employment protections. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), only 16 states and DC have laws in place protecting workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Another five states have protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity (“Statewide…”).

Every once in a while, I like to compile a list of news and articles I have come across in my research which may not have made it to become the basis for an Exploring Gender of the week. These articles can range through many sources, all revolving around some aspect of the trans* community but may also intersect with some other part of the LGBTQ* community as well. So here are the articles which have stood out over the past few weeks about a new trans* awareness campaign in DC, voter ID laws, a report on LGBTQ* characters on TV, and a follow up on health insurance for the trans* community:

During my research for this week, I found many articles relating back to recent posts, so this will be an update on many things: the trans* facilities policy at University of Pittsburgh, ENDA, how other colleges and universities are handling gender issues, trans* rights in Baltimore County, and the I AM: Trans People Speak Project.